Who to watch: Lenzerheide World Cup DH and XCO
Fast Canadians and an interesting twist to the international roster in Switzerland
Photo by:
Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool
Lenzerheide is not only an iconic venue, but it’s also the first combined XCO and DH World Cup of 2023. With the expanded coverage that Warner Bros Discovery is promising this year and the new race format for downhill, it is promising to be a busy weekend for racers and for fans at home.
Here’s the top Canadians to watch when racing starts in Lenzerheide and a look at who their facing from around the globe.
Canadians to watch
Elite downhill
2023 is poised to be a big year for Canada, with juniors Gracey Hemstreet and Jackson Goldstone both moving into the elite ranks after dominant junior careers. They’ll have to get used to the higher level of competition and a completely new race format, with the addition of semi-finals to finals day, but both have strong teams to help them along.
RELATED: How to watch 2023 World Cup XCO and DH in Canada
Finn Iles landed his first elite World Cup in 2022, at home in Canada no less, and finished third overall in the series. That will give him the confidence to take on the French fortress of downhill champs. Lucas Cruz also ended 2022 with his career-best result and first elite top-10. The Norco rider is now teammates with Mark Wallace and Gracey Hemstreet as they look to keep Norco on the downhill scene.
Junior downhill
Tegan Cruz wears the maple leaf and, after some very strong results last year, will be hunting for more in 2023. Bodhi Kuhn (Trek Factory Racing) also earned podiums in 2022. With the full support of Trek Factory Racing this year, the Rossland, B.C. racer will try make an impression in his final junior year.
Three Canadians are on the startline for the junior women’s race, looking to step into Hemstreet’s shoes. Joy Attalla, Sophia Ervington and Emma Wilson will take on a junor women’s field that has seen a lot of turnover this year.
Cross Country
When XC World Cup racing kicked off this year in Nove Mesto, it was Canada’s next generation leading the charge. Emilly Johnston earned her first under-23 World Cup podium. Carter Woods and Cole Punchard pushed into 10th and 11th in the men’s u23 race.
In the elite ranks, it’s Gunnar Holmgren, Leandré Bouchard, Jenn Jackson and Sean Fincham leading the charge. Emily Batty recently joined Catharine Pendrel on the retired list, opening the door for more younger riders to step into the spotlight. It will be exciting to see who takes advantage of that opportunity.
International riders to watch
Downhill
Lenzerheide is setting up to be a clash of generations. Both the men and women’s field are seeing the return of several big names and the graduation of dominant young juniors. They’ll join the already stacked start list as everyone tries to figure out the new semi-final/finals World Cup format.
Fans of downhill will be thrilled to see the return of Sam Hill, Rachel Atherton and, after an extended recovery from concussion symptoms, Tahnée Seagrave. On the other side of the age spectrum, Jackson Goldstone, Gracey Hemstreet and junior world champions Jenna Hastings and Jordan Williams all move into the elite ranks this year.
While Seagrave returns, Myriam Nicole announced she’ll be sitting out Lenzerheide with her own lingering concussion symptoms. Hopefully, the Frenchwoman is back on the start line soon. That leaves Camille Balanche and Vali Höll to fend off the returning and graduating riders in the women’s field.
On the men’s side, adding more talent to the field almost makes racing too crowded. Amaury Pierron, Loic Bruni and Loris Vergier are still the dominant French trio, sweeping the elite men’s world championships podium at home in Les Gets, but there are challengers. Iles, Bernard Kerr, Laurie Greenland and a long list of top riders are chipping away at the French downhill fortress.
XCO
Lenzerheide is Nino Schurter’s home World Cup course and he gunning for a historic 34th win. As we learned last year, he’s not the only Swiss rider who wants to win at home. Hopefully Mathias Flückiger and Schurter can get along better in the woods this year. With Tom Pidcock and Mathieu van der Poel both off preparing for the Tour de France, the Swiss frenemies (maybe without the friends part…) could find themself on the front again. In Nove Mesto, though, it was Joshua Dubau (RockRider Racing) that was putting the pressure on Pidcock. That sensational Sunday will surely have the Frenchman confident rolling into Lenzerheide.
On the women’s side, it’s still a crowded start line. Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) put the field on notice, winning her first elite World Cup XCO in her first start. France’s duo of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Loana Lecomte chased, but couldn’t contain the young Dutch rider. It was Evie Richards that, arguably, looked the strongest in Nove Mesto. A mechanical deflated her chance at winning, so she’ll be all the more eager to prove she’s back on form in Lenzerheide.
Racing starts Thursday with the under-23 short track (XCC) events. Live broadcasts start Friday on GCN+ and YouTube.
